Maine grandmother admits to string of fires

PORTLAND, Maine — A Standish grandmother charged with starting a string of fires across southern Maine has pleaded guilty to six counts of arson.

Sixty-six-year-old Carol Field entered her plea Thursday and faces sentencing at a later date. Her defense attorney says she’s likely to serve two years behind bars.

Prosecutors say Field admitted to setting 18 fires in York and Cumberland counties, including at Raymond Hill Baptist Church, at Randall Orchards in Standish, in an abandoned house in Limerick, and at a garage in Limington. No injuries were reported.

The former nurse’s lawyer said the confession was made under duress.

The Portland Press Herald reports that prosecutors say when they asked her why she did it she said it was because “nobody cared about her or paid attention to her.”